writer. editor. speaker. consultant.
A: When I was in Australia, I used to be a horse trainer. I used to train more reining horses than anything, but I used to be a horse trainer. Now, I would class myself as a “people trainer.” What I do is, I teach good horsemanship skills to the masses.
I teach horsemanship skills to millions of people all over the country – and all over the world – and help them on a playing field that means something to them, whether it’s trail riding, recreational riding, team penning, or dressage. What people do with their horses doesn’t really matter – if they can improve their horsemanship skills, they’ll enjoy their time with their horses even more.
A lot of people primarily use horses as a recreational thing. They go trail riding and just do some light riding on the weekend. I try to let them know that there are other things out there that they can do with their horses. You know: you can get into reining, you can get into cutting… there are hundreds of different things you can do with the horse. But a lot of people don’t know much about these things because they’ve never been exposed to them.
I try to show people how they can do more with their horses and expect more from them – how they can have fun and stay safe all at the same time.
A: I think one of the things that makes the Downunder Horsemanship TV show successful is that it gives people a chance to see real horses make significant progress. I use untrained horses and often use untrained riders. I try to cover a lot of different topics and address common concerns and problems that horse owners have. My goal with the show is to provide something of interest that will educate as well as entertain a wide variety of horse people.
I’ve done a lot of different shows recently with lots of different trainers. We did a couple of cowhorse shows with Bob Avila, a Western Pleasure show with Cleve Wells, a barrel racing show with Martha Josey and a cutting show with Mark Chestnut. And I’m planning to do more shows in the future, with all different types of trainers, because I have the highest respect for trainers and what they’re trying to do. It doesn’t matter whether you’re training pleasure horses, reining horses, cutting horses, cow horses or jumping horses. A good trainer is a good trainer. Trainers work extremely hard at what they do. They make modest livings. I am a full supporter of them and am proud to be able to bring their methods to the attention of the Downunder Horsemanship TV audience.
A: I love reining. And I would love to be a full–time reining horse trainer. But when you’re a horse trainer, you’re usually looking for that one client or two who will bring you that 40 or 50 thousand dollar futurity colt that’s got enough talent to put you in the Open Division. I’ve decided to go another route.
I don’t claim to be a reining horse trainer and I don’t promote myself as being a reining horse trainer. Sure, if I won the lottery tomorrow, more than likely I would just ride my own reining horses and compete for myself. That’s what I love to do. But, right now, I consider my reining horses as something like my hobby. That’s what I like to do.
What I’m mainly trying to do right now is to let the masses – which is the trail riding industry – let them know how much fun they can have with their horses outside of trail riding. For example, I did an “Introduction to Reining” show on my television show to promote the National Reining Horse Association. The goal was to get people to be members, to get them involved at a grass roots level even if they just put their horses in a Green as Grass class. I want to let people know that they don’t have to be intimidated by the sport of reining. They can get a horse with just a little bit of training, ride two–handed in a snaffle or a shank bit and just go out there and have some fun. I want to encourage them to get started. You don’t have to start at the World Champion end of the stick.
I want to let the masses know that there’s another area out there for them to explore with their horses. I don’t care if they get involved with reining (my first choice, of course), or cow horses, or cutting horses, or hunters or dressage or whatever. There are enough areas out there to appeal to a lot of different people.
I was quoted one time, saying one of my goals was to win the National Reining Futurity or win a world championship. I would like to win something of significance. That’s something a clinician has never done before. As far as I know, I am the only clinician who has the guts to go out there and put my name on the line and compete with the world’s best horse trainers.
Do I win? No, I haven’t won — yet. Do I do above average? Most definitely I do. It’s not so much winning or losing that means something to me; it’s the thrill of the chase. It’s about having fun and being involved with other people that enjoy the same thing you do – which, for me, is the reining industry.
A: It’s funny, actually. I’ve noticed in the past couple of years that I’ve competed in the reining futurity that when I walked into the arena, of course, there was a bunch more people watching me. The arena could be halfway empty for the two people before me. And when I go out there, there’s people hanging over the fence and people wanting to see. Basically, everybody wants to see somebody like me fall on my ass and do something bad.
But what caught me by surprise is that I felt like the reining horse trainers had a genuine respect for me – that they realized that I wasn’t out there to take money from them. I wasn’t out there to slam them. I wasn’t running them down and saying that they were no good as trainers. I think they respected me because I was willing to throw my hat in the ring and compete on their playing field.
Because the bottom line is, most clinicians that would ever try to compete in the reining futurity, cutting futurity, cow horse futurity – I don’t care what futurity you talk about – they would get their ass whipped all over the arena, hands down. I know how tough it is out there to compete against these trainers. I know how good they are. I know how talented the horses they’re riding are. And it’s very difficult.
I would love to see other clinicians put themselves on the line and get in the ring and compete with the best. See, as a clinician, it’s very easy to toot your own horn and claim that you’re the greatest horseman in the world. It’s very easy to do that – especially if you don’t ever put your name on the line and you don’t ever compete.
But I’d rather be involved in the industry, and at least have a go at it, and support it, than sit on the sidelines and run it down and claim that I’m God’s Gift to Horses when I’m really not.
I’d like to bring both industries – the trainers and the clinicians – together. We can both learn from each other if people are just willing to keep their minds open and realize that there is no “right” way or “wrong” way to do something. There are just different ways that suit different people’s personalities.
I don’t claim to be the best horse trainer in the world. I proclaim that this is what I do; I enjoy it; and if I can help you, that’s great. I will never stop learning, till the day I die. The day I stop trying to learn something new is the day I’m going to get out of the horse business, because I know that on that day, I’m bound to get worse and worse as each new day goes by, from having a closed mind. I recommend that my students learn from other people. I tell people, “why learn from one when you can learn a little bit from everyone?” I learn something new every time I step into the reining arena. And I learn something new every time I watch the world–class trainers ride.
A: I tell people like it is. I tell them that we gain our horse’s respect by getting the horse to move his feet forward, backward, left and right – and always rewarding the slightest try. If you watch a herd of horses in nature, you’ll learn all you need to know about getting and keeping a horse’s respect and attention. In general, horses in nature deal with each other very peacefully. But the dominant mare won’t tolerate disrespect. She deals with it, and then it’s over and done with.
I tell people that horses understand actions, not words. I encourage them to pay attention to their body language and to develop it so that they can communicate with their horses quickly and effectively.
I remind people that horses learn through repetition. And that once you’ve earned your horse’s respect, you must maintain it. A horse is constant maintenance on four legs. When you are teaching a horse, you must be black and white about what you do and do not want.
And I tell people that in order to have a horse who really enjoys being with you, and who is a willing, well–trained partner, you have to be willing to put in the effort yourself. You have to educate yourself. And you have to make the time commitment to educate your horse.
I travel all over the country conducting clinics and two–and–a–half day Walkabout Tours teaching people how to put these concepts to work for them. My training videos have literally hundreds of hours of information about everything from starting foals to advanced riding exercises and techniques. The Downunder Horsemanship television show is another way to expose millions of horse owners to proven training techniques.
The Downunder Difference is the newest tool I’ve developed for reaching people and giving them the information they need to succeed with their horses. The book is due out this fall (in October), and features 20 exercises that I believe all horses and riders can benefit from, regardless of whether they ride English or Western, and regardless of how much experience they have.
A: I’m always working on new projects — new ways to help people learn. I’m currently developing several new video series. And we’re in the middle of working on a comprehensive Colt Starting manual to accompany the Colt Starting Under Saddle videos.
In the next five years, I am going to slow down a lot more. I hope to be riding my own personal horses and competing a lot more. Right now, Beth and I are gearing up for a move at the end of this year. We’ve got a facility in Columbus, Ohio that we plan to make our home.
But I don’t think I’ll ever stop teaching other people about horses and horsemanship skills. The bottom line is: what I do best is I teach people good horsemanship skills and I explain them in a way that most people can understand.
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Ami Hendrickson is a bestselling writer, award-winning screenwriter, writing coach, and writing consultant. Ami is in demand as a book author, ghostwriter, co-author, editor, and story consultant. Books written by Ami include "Clinton Anderson’s Downunder Horsemanship," "Geoff Teall on Riding Hunters, Jumpers and Equitation," and "The Rider’s Pain-Free Back." Ami has also written children's books including "Carol of the Horse." Ami is an engaging writing workshop leader and writing conference speaker. For writing advice, free articles on writing, and writing inspiration, visit MuseInk, Ami’s WEBSITE FOR WRITERS. For information on current projects, observations about the writer’s life, and the occasional tangental rant, visit Ami’s BLOG or check out her Press Room. Ami Hendrickson and her husband and daughter live with their "vast menagerie" on a 100-year old farm near Lake Michigan in Berrien County, Michigan (near Chicago, IL; South Bend, IN; Kalamazoo, and Grand Rapids, MI, but still in the country!).